Wife's first gun, ideas?

[WC Deer Hunter]

Okay like the title says I am looking to get my wife her first gun. I am looking to spend in the $300 range but I want to make sure it's a sure fire RELIABLE weapon so if I need to spend a little more I will. My big thing is I don't know what caliber to really look at for her as a complete beginner. I want som,ething that she will enjoy shooting so she will practice but also affordable to shoot. Also it will need to be her carry weapon for self defense as well so something that has enough punch to stop an attacker. She has very small hands and not a real strong grip. Please help me figure out what to be looking at for her. I hope to take her this week to check some out and hold some to see what fits her hand and that feel good to her.

 

[sgreen3]

A nice walther P22 would be a good place to start, they are a very quality handgun no recoil and cheap to practice with. The best thing would be to let her shoot a few different things to see what she likes best. I would advise not to buy one of the pocket pistols without leting her try one first, most of them tend to pack a little bit of a punch for their size. My GF does not like shooting my TCP in .380 because of the recoil. Main thing here make sure she likes it and wants it and if you can let her shoot it before you buy it.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

A nice walther P22 would be a good place to start, they are a very quality handgun no recoil and cheap to practice with. The best thing would be to let her shoot a few different things to see what she likes best. I would advise not to buy one of the pocket pistols without leting her try one first, most of them tend to pack a little bit of a punch for their size. My GF does not like shooting my TCP in .380 because of the recoil. Main thing here make sure she likes it and wants it and if you can let her shoot it before you buy it.

Yeah I was looking at the P22 and some others. I don't like most of the pocket pistols myself and she thinks they are to small also.

 

[Icarry2]

Take her to a gun shop and have her put the available options in her hand and see what feels right. Choosing a self defense weapon without considering the feel in your hand is ill advised.

TJ

 

[travisf]

Rossi Revolver. Can't go wrong with a revolver. Its a belly gun with plenty of "ass". Many calibers to choose from. Never jams and reliable. .22 caliber is a waste for a carry gun. You want something that packs a punch and won't make just a flesh wound. If they are alive they can testify.

 

[cornfused]

Look at the Kahr CM9 and CW9, They are 9mm, small to medium in size,reliable and priced right.

 

[dashby115]

Took the wife to local gun shop..tried several models..ended up with a bersa .380
inexpensive but actually shoots well..she did not want to spend alot on her first gun until she got more comfortable with shooting and carrying..

 

[flatlander]

There are several good articles in SWAT magazine about women and guns. Remember that smaller lighter handguns also recoil more. I believe something in a 9mm will serve well as it's enough gun and comes in enough different flavors that she should be able to find the one that fits. I'm not saying she couldn't handle larger but that's what I have settled on for my family.
YMMV

Bob

 

[dashby115]

had the wife take the nra basic hand gun course..would highly recommend this class to anyone..made her much more comfortable with handguns

 

[RBrianHarless]

Whatever you choose, I would not go below .380 or .38 Special in caliber.

 

[woodwalker]

I have a Kahr CM-9 and it has very little recoil and easy to operate and conceal

 

[Phase2]

Some good options mentioned above, but if you can stretch to $400, you open up to a lot of quality options (like the Kahrs above, Ruger SR series, used Glocks, etc). One key is that the choice should really be hers, not yours. You can help her narrow thing down based on her requirements, but in the end she is the one that needs to feel that it fits her. I recommend the 1500 as a great place to handle a lot of firearms and get a feel for what might feel right.

I highly recommend Pami's stickies at the top of the "Women and Firearms" forum for excellent advise and some websites specifically for female gun owners.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes I understand the choice is hers not mine and I feel the same way. I just want some viable option to get her started on the right path looking. As I said before, i hope to take her this week to a local shop and let her get a feel of as many as she can to get an idea what feels good to her for a start. Also a good friend of mines wife has carried for a few years gonna get together with them and have her shoot a few of hers as well.

 

[45fan]

First handgun, small hands weak grip, good defensive caliber, reliable, all for under $300? I have to advise taking her somewhere and letting her shoot a few handguns first, and get a feel for what she likes. Just handling in the gun store is only a small part of actually being comfortable with the pistol.

There are many handguns on the market that might fit a smaller hand, some of them are lower in perceived recoil that might work for what she will be comfortable with.

My wife started her search with a day at the range with a few buddies and LOTS of different pistols. After a few hundred rounds, and maybe 10-15 different handguns, she had a pretty good idea of what she was looking for.
A semi auto in your budget would most likely include used pistols. Kel-tec and Taurus are two names that come to mind for inexpensive new pistols.
If you can stretch your budget a bit, the PK380 (Walther) is a smallish handgun that is chambered in 380 Auto (arguably a minimum for self defense) that is fairly easy to operate, and has lower perceived recoil.
A .22 is probably the best option for a beginner, but with a little exploration she may find that a more desirable caliber/handgun combination is within her abilities to shoot well. My wifes first choice for a handgun was a Government model 1911 with a comp bushing on it, though she decided on a smaller handgun as her first purchase for convenience of carry.

 

[twisyblackmetal]

I second some of the advice here. My wife was a left leaning, Jersey Girl who had no prior experience with guns and in fact, thought they were all somehow evil. I would like to think that I was able to demonstrate responsible gun handling and ownership. When the time was right we went down to the gun shop and she chose herself a used MK II Ruger. I think many newbies to the sport get put off because they are handed too much gun too soon. She very much enjoys sending lead downrange. I encouraged her to fire my 9mm when she was ready.

While the .22 is certainly not an optimum defensive weapon in my eyes she is very comfortable with it. I just try to encourage that should she ever have to, dont skimp on the rounds you dump into a felon. I would way rather my wife reach into the nightstand after calling 911 and pull out a pistol she is confident with than a pistol she fumbles with or one whose recoil she cannot control. I would love to talk my wife into a better defensive weapon, but she has her eyes on a Ruger Bearcat....
It's okay, she laughs after she fires our 12ga shotgun. A guy could have worse problems.

 

[goinggreyfast]

Suggestion: Whatever she wants.


Next question???

 

[eric001]

The Taurus 85 might fit her needs (and your budget) pretty well--IF she ends up liking revolvers. All kinds of nice options nowadays--like 38+P, light weight, 5 or 6 rounds, etc. Nice little guns that don't seem to have much recoil and are very accurate for their size. Just a thought!!

 

[Jeremy1066]

It's not quite in your budget unless u look for a used one, but I bought a Glock 19 9mm (thanks again LotsOfGlocks) and my wife with small hands loves it. I have a hard time getting it away from her at the range. Lightweight, no recoil, 15 rounds, very predictable, ultra reliable with any ammunition. I also would suggest no caliber smaller than 9mm (i.e. .380, .22, .25, .32) if it will be used for self defense and not just plinking.

 

[Stschil]

Rossi Revolver. Can't go wrong with a revolver. Its a belly gun with plenty of "ass". Many calibers to choose from. Never jams and reliable. .22 caliber is a waste for a carry gun. You want something that packs a punch and won't make just a flesh wound. If they are alive they can testify.

Personally, if I could only shoot a .22 accurately, I would trust it over a larger caliber that I could not, or going without. There have been many deaths attributed to the unworthy .22lr. Besides, the point is protect yourself and to stop the threat, not nessesaarily to kill.
The OP is attempting to bring his wife into the fold, that can't happen if she is scared of the firearm.

 

[686 Shooter]

Several years ago I bought a Colt police positive, I put it up for sale because I never shot it. It looked a little rough because it was a former police gun and had been carried, so no one wanted to buy it, well after a little work and some TLC, it's a pretty decent gun again, so I decided to put it back up for sale, it was setting on my desk and my wife picked it up to look at it, she really liked the looks and feel of the gun, so it looks like I will be keeping it. After thinking about it, it is an excellent gun for teaching someone to shoot, it is a medium frame gun, 4" barrel, decent trigger action in both single and double action and the best part, they can be bought for +/- $300. Another good option would be a S&W k-frame, appearance shouldn't be a factor in a good training gun, so you should be able pick up a good used one for cheap. A medium sized revolver with light target loads is a great training tool.